2015年12月英语四级考试真题及答案第3套

PartIWriting(30Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteanessaycommentingonthesaying"Nevergoouttheretoseewhathappens,goouttheretomakethingshappen."Youcanciteexamplestoillustratetheimportanceofbeingparticipantsratherthanmereonlookersinlife.Youshouldwriteatleast120wordsbutnomorethan180words.PartⅡListeningComprehension(30minutes)SectionADirections:Inthissection,youwillhear8shortconversationsand2longconversations.Attheendofeachconversation,oneormorequestionswillbeaskedaboutwhatwassaid.Boththeconversationandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Aftereachquestiontherewillbeapause.Duringthepause,youmustreadthefourchoicesmarkedA,B,C,andD.anddecidewhichisthebestanswer.ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswer.SheetIwithasinglelinethroughthecenter.1.A)TheyadmirethecourageofspaceTheyweregoingtowatchawonderfulTheyenjoyedthemovieonspaceTheylikengscientificexplorationvery2.A)Inaschool B)AtagiftC)Intheofficeofatravel D)Atagraduation3.A)Heusedtoworkintheart B)Hedoesnothaveagood 4.A)HewillbeunabletoattendthebirthdayThewomanshouldhaveinformedhimHewillgotothebirthdaypartyaftertheSusanhasbeeninvitedtogivealecture5.A)Setadeadlineforthestaffto B)AssignmoreworkerstotheC)Rewardthosehavingmadegoodprogress. D)EncouragethestafftoworkinsmallPAGE5PAGE56.A)Whereshecanleaveher B)TherateforparkinginLotC)Howfarawaytheparkinglot D)Thewaytothevisitor's7.A)Heregretsmissingthe B)HehasbenefitedfromC)Heplanstotakethefitness D)HeislookingforwardtoabetterA)Howtoselect B)HowtoraiseworkC)Theresponsibilitiesofsecretaries. D)Thesecretariesintheman'scompany.Questions9to11arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.A)Itisusedbymorepeoplethan B)Itismoredifficulttolearnthan A)Itspopularitywiththecommon B)TheeffectoftheIndustrialC)TheinfluenceoftheBritish D)ItsloanwordsfrommanyA)IthasagrowingnumberofnewlycoinedItincludesalotofwordsfromotherItisthelargestamongalllanguagesintheItcanbeeasilypickedupbyoverseasQuestions12to15arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustA)Toplacean B)ToapplyforaC)Toreturnsome D)TomakeaA)Heworksonapart-timebasisfortheHehasnotworkedinthesalesdepartmentforHeisnotfamiliarwiththeexactdetailsoftheHe esomewhatimpatientwiththeA)Itisnothis B)ItwinbefreeforlargeC)Itdependsonanumberof D)Itcosts￡15moreforexpressA)MakeinquirieswithsomeotherReporttheinformationtoherPayavisittothesaleswomaninRingbackwhenshecomestoaSectionDirections：Inthissection,youwillhear3shortpassages.Attheendofeachpassage,youwillhearsomequestions.Boththepassageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA,B,C.andD.ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecenter.PassageQuestions16to18arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustA)NooneknowsforsurewhentheycameintoNooneknowsexactlywheretheywerefirstNooneknowsforwhatpurposetheywereNooneknowswhattheywilllooklikeintheA)Measurethespeedof B)GivewarningsofC)Passonsecret D)CarryropesacrossA)Tofindoutthestrengthofsilkfor B)TotesttheeffectsofthelightningC)Toprovethatlightningis D)ToprotecthousesagainstPassageQuestions19to22arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustA)Shewasbornwithatalentfor B)ShewastrainedtobeanC)Shecanspeakseveral D)SheenjoysteachingA)TheywanttolearnasmanyforeignlanguagesasTheyhaveanintenseinterestincross-culturalTheyacquireanimmunitytocultureTheywouldliketoliveabroadA)ShebecameanexpertinhorseShelearnedtoappreciateclassicalShewasabletotranslateforaGermansportsShegotachancetovisitseveralEuropeanA)Takepartinacooking B)TastethebeefandgiveherC)Teachvocabularyforfoodin D)GivecookinglessonsonWesternPassageQuestions23to25arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustA)Hehadonlyathird-grade B)Heoncethreatenedtokillhis A) B) C) D)A)WatcheducationalTVprograms B)WritetwobookreportsaC)Helpwith D)KeepaSectionDirections:Inthissection,youwillhearapassagethreetimes.Whenthepassageisreadforthefirsttime,youshouldlistencarefullyforitsgeneralidea.Whenthepassageisreadforthesecondtime,youarerequiredtofillintheblankswiththeexactwordsyouhavejustheard.Finally,whenthepassageisreadforthethirdtime,youshouldcheckwhatyouhaveWhenyoulookupatthenightskywhatdoyouseeThereareother26bodiesouttherebesidesthemoonandstars.Oneofthemost27oftheseisacomet(彗星).CometswereformedaroundthesametimetheEarthwasformed.Theyare28iceandotherfrozenliquidsandgases.29these"dirtysnowballs"begintoorbitthesun,justastheplanetsdo.Asacometgetsclosertothesun,somegasesinitbegintounfreeze.They30dustparticlesfromthecomettoformahugecloud.Asthecometgetsevennearertothesun,asolarwindblowsthecloudbehindthecomet,thusformingitstail.Thetailandthe31fuzzy(模糊的)atmospherearoundacometare32thatcanhelpidentifythis33inthenightsky.Inanygivenyear,aboutadozenknowncometscomeclosetothesunintheirorbits.Theaveragecan'tseethemall,ofcourse.Usuallythereisonlyoneortwoayearbrightenoughtobeseenwiththe34eye.CometHale-Bopp,discoveredin1995,wasanunusuallybrightcomet.Itsorbitbroughtit35closetotheEarth,within122millionofit.ButHale-Boppcamealongwayonitsearthlyvisit.Itwon'tbebackforanotherfourthousandyearsorso.PartⅢReadingComprehension(40minutes)SectionADirections:Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordforeachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecenter.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.Questions36to45arebasedonthefollowingChildrendonotthinkthewayadultsdo.Formostofthefirstyearoflife,ifsomethingisoutofsight,it'soutofmind.Ifyoucovera toywithapieceofcloth,thebabythetoyhasdisappearedandstopslookingforit.A4-year-oldmay37thatasisterhasmorefruitjuicewhenitisonlytheshapesoftheglassesthatdiffer,notthe38ofjuice.Yetchildrenaresmartintheirownway.Likegoodlittlescientists,childrenarealwaystestingtheirchild-sized39abouthowthingswork.Whenyourchildthrowsherspoononthefloorforthesixthtimeasyoutrytofeedher,andyousay,"That'senough!Iwillnotpickupyourspoonagain!"thechildwill40testyourclaim.Areyouserious?Areyouangiy?Whatwillhappenifshethrowsthespoonagain?Sheisnotngthistodriveyou41;rather,sheislearningthatherdesiresandyourscandiffer,andthatsometimesthose42areimportantandsometimestheyarenot.Howandwhydoeschildren'sthinkingchange?Inthe1920s,SwisspsychologistJeanPiagetproposedthatchildren'scognitive(认知的)abilitiesunfold43,likethebloomingofaflower,almostindependentofwhatelseis44intheirlives.Althoughmanyofhisspecificconclusionshavebeen45ormodifiedovertheyears,hisideasinspiredthousandsofstudiesbyinvestigatorsallovertheworld.A)B)C)D)E)F)G)H)I) J)K)L)N)O)SectionDirections:Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.AnswerthequestionsbymarkingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2.ThePerfectLookingbackontoomanyyearsofeducation,Icanidentifyonetrulyimpossibleteacher.Shecaredaboutme,andmyinlectuallife,evenwhenIdidn't.Herexpectationswerehigh-impossiblyso.ShewasanEnglishteacher.Shewasalsomymother.Whengoodstudentsturninanessay,theydreamoftheirinstructorreturningittotheminexactlythesamecondition,saveforasinglewordaddedinthemarginofthefinalpage:"Flawless."Thisdreamcametrueformeoneafternoonintheninthgrade.Ofcourse,Ihadheardthatgeniuscouldshowitselfatanearlyage,soIwasonlyslightlytakenabackthatIhadachievedperfectionatthetenderageof14.Obviously,Ididwhatanyprofessionalwriterwoulddo;Ihurriedofftospreadthegoodnews.Ididn'tgetveryfar.ThefirstItoldwasmymother.Mymother,whoisjustshyoffivefeettall,isnormallyincrediblysoft-spoken,butontherareoccasionwhenshegotangry,shewasterrifying.IamnotsureifshewasmoreupsetbycouldbeAtthetimeIamsureshethoughtshewasteachingmeaboutmechanics,transitionsstructurestyleandvoiceButwhatIlearnedandwhatstuckwithmethroughmytimeteachingwritingatHarvard,wasadeeperlessonaboutthenatureofcreativecriticism.Firstoff,ithurts.Genuinecriticism,thetypethatleavesalastingmarkonyouasawriter,alsoleavesanexistentialimprint(印记)onyouasa.Ihaveheardpeoplesaythatawritershouldnevertakecriticismally.Isaythatweshouldneverlistentothesepeople.Criticism,atitsbest,isdeeplyal,andgetstotheheartofwhywewritethewaywedo.Theintimatenatureofgenuinecriticismimpliessomethingaboutwhoisabletogiveit,namely,someonewhoknowsyouwellenoughtoshowyouhowyourmentallifeisgettinginthewayofgoodwriting.Conveniently,theyarealsothepeoplewhocareenoughtoseeyouthroughthispainfulrealization.Formeittooktheformofmyfirst,andIhopeonly,encounterwithwriter'sblock-Iwasnotabletoproduceanythingforthreeyears.FranzKafkaoncesaidWritingisuttersolitudethedescentintothecoldabyssofoneselfMymother'scriticismhadshownmethatKafkaisrightaboutthecoldabyss,andwhenyoumaketheintrospective(内省的)descentthatwritingrequiresyouarenotalwayspleasedbywhatyoufind.But,intheyearsthatfollowed,hersustainedtutoringsuggestedthatKafkamightbewrongaboutthesolitude.Iwasluckyenoughtofindacriticandteacherwhowaswillingtomakethejourneyofwritingwithme"ItisathingofnogreatdifficultyaccordingtoPlutarch,"toraiseobjectionsagainstanotherman'sspeech,itisaveryeasymatter;buttoproduceabetterinitsplaceisaworkextremelytroublesomeIamsureIwroteessaysinthelateryearsofhighschoolwithoutmymother'sguidancebutIcan'trecallthem.WhatIremember,however,ishowshetookupthe"extremelytroublesome"workofongoingcriticism.TherearetwowaystointerpretPlutarchwhenhesuggeststhatacriticshouldbeabletoproduce"abetterinitsplace."Inastraightforwardsense,hecouldmeanthatacriticmustbemoretalentedthantheartistshecritiques(评论).Mymotherwaswellcoveredonthiscount.ButperhapsPlutarchissuggestingsomethingslightlydifferent,somethingabitclosertoMarcusCicero'sclaimthatoneshould"criticizebycreation,notbyfindingfault."Genuinecriticismcreatesapreciousopeningforanauthorto ebetteronhisownterms-aprocessthatisoftenextremelypainful,butalsoalmostalwaysmeaningful.Mymothersaidshewouldhelpmewithmywriting,butfirstIhadtohelpmyself.Foreachassignment,IwastowritethebestessayIcould.Realcriticismisnotmeanttofindobviousmistakes,soifshefoundany-thetypeIcouldhavefoundonmyown-Ihadtostartfromscratch.Fromscratch.Oncetheessaywas"flawless,"shewouldtakeaneveningtowalkmethroughmyerrors.Thatwaswhentruecriticism,thetypethatchangedmeasa ,began.张声势)theirwaythroughignorance."Thatwasnewstome-Iwouldneedtofindanotherwaytostructuremydailyexistence.Shetrimmedbackmyflowerylanguage,drewlinesthroughmyexclamationmarksandarguedforthevalueofrestraintinexpression."John,"shealmostwhispered.Ileanedintohearher:"Ican'thearyouwhenyoushoutatme."SoIstoppedshoutingandbluffing,andslowlymywritingimproved.SomewherealongthewayIsetasidemyhopesofwritingthatflawlessessay.ButperhapsImissedsomethingimportantinmymother'slessonsaboutcreativityandperfection.Perhapsthepointofwritingtheflawlessessaywasnottogiveup,buttoneverwillinglyfinish.Whitmanrepeatedlyreworked"SongofMyself'between1855and1891.Repeatedly.Wedoourabsolutebestwithapieceofwriting,andcomeascloseaswecantotheideal.And,forthetimebeing,wesettle.Incritique,however,weareforcedtodepart,togiveuptheperfectionwethoughtwehadachievedforthechanceofbeingevenalittlebitbetter.ThisisthelessonItookfrommymother..Ifperfectionwerepossible,itwouldnotbemotivating.TheauthorwasadvisedagainsttheimproperuseoffiguresofTheauthor'smothertaughthimavaluablelessonbypointingoutlotsofflawsinhisseeminglyperfectessay.AwritershouldpolishhiswritingrepeatedlysoastogetclosertoCriticizingsomeone'sspeechissaidtobeeasierthancomingupwithabetterTheauthorlooksuponhismotherashismostdemandingandcaringThecriticismtheauthorreceivedfromhismotherchangedhimasaTheauthorgraduallyimprovedhiswritingbyavoidingfancyConstructivecriticismgivesanauthoragoodstarttoimprovehisSectionDirections:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA,B,C.AndD.YoushoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswer.Sheet2withasinglelinethroughthecenter.PassageQuestions56to60arebasedonthefollowingCouldyoureproduceSiliconValleyelsewhere,oristheresomethinguniqueaboutItwouldn'tbesurprisingifitwerehardtoreproduceinothercountries,becauseyouIt'stherightpeople.IfyoucouldgettherighttenthousandpeopletomovefromSiliconValleytoBuffalo,Buffalowould eSiliconValley.YouonlyneedtwokindsofpeopletocreateatechnologyhubrichpeopleandnerdsObservationbearsthisout.WithintheUS,townshave estartuphubsifandonlyiftheyhavebothrichpeopleandnerds.FewstartupshappeninMiami,forexample,becausealthoughit'sfullofrichpeople,ithasfewnerds.It'snotthekindofplacenerdslike.WhereasPittsburghhastheoppositeproblem:plentyofnerds,butnorichpeople.ThetopUSComputerSciencedepartmentsaresaidtobeMIT,Stanford,Berkeley,andCarnegie-Mellon.MITyieldedRoute128.StanfordandBerkeleyyieldedSiliconValley.ButwhatdidCainegie-MellonyieldinPittsburgh?AndwhathappenedinIthaca,homeofCornellUniversity,whichisalsohighonthelist?IgrewupinPittsburghandwenttocollegeatCornell,soIcananswerforbothTheweatheristerrible,particularlyinwinter,andthere'snointerestingoldcitytomakeupforit,asthereisinBostonRichpeopledon'twanttoliveinPittsburghorIthaca.Sowhilethere'replentyofhackers(电脑迷)whocouldstartstartups,there'snoonetoinvestinthem.Doyoureallyneedtherichpeople?Wouldn'titworktohavetheernmentinvestinthenerds?No,itwouldnot.Startupinvestorsareadistincttypeofrichpeople.Theytendtohavealotofexperiencethemselvesinthetechnologybusiness.Thishelpsthempicktherightstartups,andmeanstheycansupplyadviceandconnectionsaswellasmoney.Andthefactthattheyhaveaalstakeinthe emakesthemreallypayattention.WhatdowelearnaboutSiliconValleyfromtheItssuccessishardtocopyanywhereItisthebiggesttechnologyhubintheItsfameinhightechnology ItleadstheworldininformationWhatmakesMiamiunfittoproduceaSiliconLackofincentivefor B)LackoftherightkindofLack D)LackoffamousInwhatwayisCarnegie-MellondifferentfromStanford,BerkeleyandItslocationisnotasattractivetorichItdoesnotpaymuchattentiontobusinessWhatdoestheauthorimplyaboutIthaspleasantweatherallyearItproduceswealthaswellashigh-ItisnotlikelytoattractlotsofinvestorsandItisanoldcitywithmanysitesofhistoricalWhatdoestheauthorsayaboutstartupTheyareespeciallywiseinmakingTheyhavegoodconnectionsintheTheycandomorethanprovidingTheyarerichenoughtoinvestinPassageQuestions61to65arebasedonthefollowingIt'snicetohavepeopleoflikemindaround.Agreeablepeopleboostyourconfidenceandallowyoutorelaxandfeelcomfortable.Unfortunay,thatcomfortcanhindertheverylearningthatcanexpandyourcompanyandyourcareer.It'snicetohavepeopleagree,butyouneedingstodigoutthetruth.Ifeveryonearoundyouhassimilarviews,yourworkwillsufferfromconfirmationbias(偏颇).Takealookatyourownnetwork.Doyourcontactsshareyourpointofviewonmostsubjects?Ifyes,it'stimetoshakethingsup.Asaleader,itcanbechallengingtocreateanenvironmentinwhichpeoplewillfreelydisagreeandargue,butasthesayinggoes:Fromcomesbrilliance.It'snoteasyformostpeopletoactivelyseek.Manyspendtheirlivestryingtoavoidarguments.There'snoneedtogooutandfindpeopleyouhate,butyouneedtodosomeself-assessmenttodeterminewhereyouhave estaleinyourthinking.Youmayneedtostartbyencouragingyourcurrentnetworktohelpyouidentifyyourblindspots.Passionate,energeticdebatedoesnotrequireangerandhardfeelingstobeeffective.Butitdoesrequiremoralstrength.Onceyouhaveworthyopponents,setsomegroundrulessoeveryoneunderstandsresponsibilitiesandboundaries.Theobjectiveofthisdebatinggameisnottowinbuttogettothetruththatwillallowyoutomovefaster,farther,andbetter.Fiercedebatingcanhurtfeelings,particularlywhenstrongalitiesareinvolved.MakesureyoucheckinwithyouropponentssothattheyarenotcarryingtheemotionofthebattlesRewardallthoseinvolvedinthedebatesufficientlywhenthegoalsarereached.Letyoursparringpartners(拳击陪练)knowhowmuchyouappreciatetheircontribution.Themoretheyfeelappreciated,themorethey'llbewillingtogetintotheringnexttime.Whathappenswhenyouhavelike-mindedpeoplearoundyoualltheItwillhelpyourcompanyexpandmoreItwillcreateaharmoniousworkingItmaypreventyourbusinessandcareerfromItmaymakeyoufeeluncertainaboutyourownWhatdoestheauthorsuggestleadersAvoidargumentswithbusiness B)Encouragepeopletodisagreeand WhatisthepurposeofholdingaTofindoutthetruthaboutan B)Tobuilduppeople'smoralC)Toremove D)TolookforworthyWhatadvicedoestheauthorgivetopeopleengagedinafierceTheylistencarefullytotheiropponents'views.B)Theyshowduerespectforeachother'sbeliefs.Theypresenttheirviewscl